This Application claims priority from German Application Number 100 63 537.7 which was filed on Dec. 20, 2000, the disclosure of which is incorporated into this application by reference.
The invention relates to a display and operating element for an electronic scale having a display area in which the weighing results and values, parameters or selection lists for user prompting can be displayed, either spatially separated or in succession over time, and having at least one button for operating the scale.
Display and operating elements for scales of this type are generally known.
For example, German Patent DE 32 13 015 C2 describes a scale with an integrated display and operating element that has several programs and in which the individual program numbers are shown on the display in sequence when the scale is switched on so that the number of the desired program can be selected. Since this scale requires a delay to allow the operating personnel to decide whether to make a selection and react accordingly at each program number, sequencing through the program numbers can only be carried out slowly. As a result, program selection is very time-consuming.
In addition, a scale with a separate display and operating element is known from U.S. Pat. No. 4,650,014, in which a ten-key keypad is provided, e.g., for inputting a specified value. Therefore, numerical values can easily be input using this keypad. However, because of the ten-key keypad, the display and operating element is required to be relatively large, especially if the scale is designed to be operated while wearing protective gloves. If the system is further adapted to receive instructions by inputting letters as well as numerals, this would require approximately 30 additional keys, and thereby compound the problem.
In addition, it is also known from German Laid-Open Publication DE 36 38 210 A1 that an operating button of the scalexe2x80x94in this case the tare buttonxe2x80x94can be divided into several partial areas. For example, if the operating button is divided into four partial areas, it is possible to provide, e.g., a counting scale the permits selection between four different quantities or number of reference units by pressing the appropriate partial area. However, this method is useful for a selection of values only when there are at most a few values that can be selected.
Providing one button for incrementing and one button for decrementing in a measurement scale is also known from U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,847,328 and 5,902,965. These patents are incorporated by reference in their entirety into the present application. With these two buttons, at each actuation, the scale value can be increased or lowered by 1 and, thus, the displayed value can be brought to a specified value during an incorrect measurement. This method is good for small changes, but, for large changes, the button needs to be actuated a large number of times, which makes the procedure cumbersome.
Finally, mounting the weighing pan of a scale so that it can rotate and using the angle of rotation to adjust a parameter is known from German Patent No. DE 41 37 919 C1. However, this method is not useful for scales with a square scale pan or for scales with a conveyor device mounted on the scale pan to supply/remove the material to be weighed-for example, it is not at all possible with a roller conveyor. However, even during weighing with a round scale pan, the contact with the scale leads to a disturbance in the weighing result so that each time it is necessary to wait after a parameter change for the weighing result to settle to its rest value. As a result, changing parameters is time-consuming.
One object of the present invention is to provide an electronic scale having a display and operating element that makes possible the fast and simple adjustment of values/parameters and/or the selection of a specific point out of a selection list.
According to the invention, this and other objects are achieved by providing a rotary knob for the display element (for example, on one side of the display element), so that when the knob is turned in one direction or in the other, the values, parameters or marked areas of the selection list shown in the display area are changed in one direction or the other. Additionally, a button is assigned to the rotary knob as an acknowledgement button, such that actuation of this acknowledgement button results in the acceptance into the scale""s electronic evaluation unit of the value, parameter or marked area of the selection list selected by using the rotary knob.
Because the selection is made by turning a rotary knob, both fast and accurate selection is rendered possible, so that even when there are many available alternativesxe2x80x94e.g., in the selection of lettersxe2x80x94fast and precise selection remains possible. The selection is completed by actuating the acknowledgement button, and the selected alternative is accepted into the electronic evaluation unit and processed there.
In an advantageous aspect of the invention, the rotary knob is located on one side of the display and operating element and the acknowledgement button on the other side, so that one hand is free to operate the rotary knob without releasing it while the other hand can operate the acknowledgement button. In an alternative advantageous aspect of the invention, the acknowledgement button is integrated in the rotary knob. Either the acknowledgement button is installed in the rotary knob or the acknowledgement function is actuated by pressing the entire rotary knob. As a result, in this aspect of the invention, the turning (selection) and the pressing (acknowledgement) can be carried out with one hand. Accordingly, the present invention provides a scale in which its operation is simple, fast and reliable.